Hubby and I took a quick 2 day trip to Lisbon, rented a scooter and this is what we did and discovered about the capital of Portugal.
Rented a scooter
So with no plans, we decided to go to Lisbon for two days and just blend in with the locals. We rented a scooter from Scooteria, a small shack near our hostel and easily accessible to anyone staying near the center of town. The owner was very sincere, nice, and helpful.We rented a scooter for two days for a total of 65 Euros and rode around Lisbon all day. We figured this was the best way to see more in less time.
The drivers were respectful and the ride felt safe.
Beware of going the wrong way, we missed two or three red X signs. Luckily there isn’t many cars on the road so it was a quick fix.
Lisbon has so many little streets that at some point, they start to look the same. Anyway, parking is leniant. You can park on the sidewalk, or pretty much anywhere as long as its not in the way. I definitely recommend renting a scooter.
Take the Metro
Another travel option is taking the metro. You can ride it from the airport to any location around town. Follow the metro sign out of the airport and it’ll lead you to the metro entrance. We purchased a regular access card with 10 euros in it (you can add more or less money) as oppose to the 24 hr card that expires right away. It took us 48 minutes on train to get to our hostel and 30 minutes to go back to the airport. It was only two trains and if you don’t know any Portuguese or Spanish, the subway lines are distinguishable by color. There’s a stop at pretty much every major tourist site we visited.
Skip the heels
No one wears heels! Between the hills, stairs and cobblestone, there’s a reason why locals rarely wear heels. Even the most sophisticated people in heel-attire were wearing sneakers or sandals. I guess this leaves to more space for suveniers in your bag 😉.
Carry a portable charger
Wether you rent a scooter, ride the train or cab it, best believe you will be using up your batteries to find your exact location. There are so many hidden streets that you can easily get lost. My portable charger definitely saved us from being stranded far from our hostel.
Lisbon hostel
We stayed at Safe Stay Lisbon and it was decent. It was $23eur per night for a room with 4 beds. The hostel was clean but lacked social amenities. The bar was at the reception desk, directly in front of a terrace and accross a hang out room but not a lot of action. Like many hostels and restaurants around Lisbon, this one had no AC. What I didnt like the most was the wood flooring at Safe Stay. It would crack every time you walked so you’d hear everything going on in the room or halls. Also the kitchen was dark and uninviting. Nevertheless the hostel was clean, the crowd was young and in the end all we needed was a bed to sleep in.
Bring a jacket
Lisbon has to have the weirdest weather I have ever experienced. The sun is so hot in the day that it makes you want to hang out by the beach but once it goes down its windy and cold. When I return to Lisbon, I’ll be sure to bring warmer attire. To give you and idea, it’s July and it felt like a NYC fall afternoon.
Travel light
Lisbon is not the city to be dragging a roller board around. There’s rails, stairs, hills and cobble stone all over the city so a 50lb roller bag will not be your best friend. Its such a casual city, you don’t need to bring much to blend in.
Praira Ribeiro de Cavalo is a must
Its free, rural and so beautiful! If you are adventurous and up for a 45 minute drive out of Lisbon to Sesimbra than this is the route to go. Once you arrive at the beach, it will look like your in the middle of nowhere but its because you have to work to get to the magic.
So Ribeiro do Cavalo is mostly visited by locals so there are no clear signs, other than the name, of how to get down. The only thing you’ll see is rocks with arrows and car tires buried along the trail.
Once you find your way to the bottom, the beach is so beautiful and the climb is worth it. Wear sneakers and take your time walking down the rocky path. Afterwards, feel free to grab some seafood at the fisherman town next door.
Lisbon Boat Party
We ran into a crowd waiting to board a boat party and decided to join them. We spoke to the owner and told us that every Thursday at 7pm there’s a boat party that tours around the city for 4 hours while blasting music. It’s only 29 euros per person, it comes with a free drink, and access to K Urban Beach Club afterwards.
It took a few drinks for everyone to get comfortable but by the end of the night it was lit. For more details click here
Pubs VS clubs
If you are looking for the night life, Barrio Alto is were it’s at. The area is full of bars and you can expect a lot of people any day of the week. Every bar competes with each other for the best drink prices. We bought 2 drinks and a shot for 5 euros… pretty cheap way to get drunk.
We also went to K Urban Beach Club after the boat party and it started getting full after 2am on a THURSDAY. So if you are planning on going out, the later the better. The music was good and drinks were affordable.
Wish I could say more but we only spent 2 days which is definitely not enough to see the entire town. If you do want to go to Lisbon, make plans so you don’t spent your day wasting time
Here some photos from our self scooter tour 🤣.